Never Let Go
by lonemirage14
Summary: The sequel to On My Mind. Jude and company hit the road for her first headlining North American tour, but will drama follow?
1. Author's Note and Disclaimer

**Author's Note:**

**Never Let Go is the sequel to On My Mind. Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to read On My Mind. I wasn't sure if I wanted to do a sequel when I began writing it, but we all know that Tommy, Jude, and the rest of the crew are bound to have future drama, so I would consider this "Season 6" in my mind. **

**NLG begins approximately 2 months after On My Mind ends. The exact time frame of the final season of the show isn't clear, but I personally assume that it ends shortly before Jude's 19th birthday. Combining that with the time arc from On My Mind, I'm going to say that NLG starts in the late spring the year she turns 20. Her age/birthdays will come into play, so I just wanted to get that out there.**

**I don't have a clear ending in my mind yet, so bear with me as it may take several days for me to post updates as I work through the story in my mind first.**

**Disclaimer:**

**I do not own Instant Star or any of the characters. I do however own the new characters brought in. All lyrics, songs, etc, will be properly credited at the end of each chapter.**

***Title inspired by Hanson's "Never Let Go."**


	2. Chapter 1: Chrome Cat

Tommy had Jude pinned on the red couch in their studio space, the Chrome Cat, inching his fingers underneath her shirt.

"Tommy, don't please, no more tickling, I can't take it!" Jude said, out of breath.

Tommy smirked and let his fingertips wander further up her sides, lowering his head to her neck. Jude could feel the air shift as it went from a playful bout of tickling to something much, much more.

They both jumped when the phone rang, and Tommy collapsed in defeat on top of Jude.

"Babe, you gonna answer that?" Jude said, her voice muffled by Tommy's hair. He shook his head no, and she pushed him up, pointing to the phone.

He groaned and stumbled to the desk where the phone was still ringing, loudly.

"What?" Tommy said gruffly, irritated that his alone time with Jude was being disrupted.

"Tom, what are you two doing down there? Wait - don't answer that, I don't want to know. We have a meeting with that new perspective band in 10 minutes! Get your butts up here!" Sadie screeched over the line, causing Tommy to close his eyes and rest his head in his hands.

He walked back over to Jude and pulled her up, putting his arms around her.

"That was Sadie, we have that meeting in 10 minutes. We better go up before she breaks the door."

Jude pouted and Tommy grinned, unable to resist her charm.

"As soon as we are done, you and I have a date with that couch. And I am turning off the ringer."

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><p><strong>I know, I know, its short. To my readers: I write things in scenes. Some chapters will be longer than others. This particular one should be viewed as the opening scene to a show, right before the credits. It requires distance from the next chapter.<strong>


	3. Chapter 2: New Blood

Jude and Tommy walked into the conference room in the NBR headquarters, holding hands and laughing as Spied zoomed by on rollerblades, chasing Karma.

"Glad you guys could make it, Ms. VP, Mr. Prez." Sadie said mockingly, hands on her hips.

"Excuse me Ms. Harrison, that's Mr. CO-Prez, thank you very much." Jamie retorted, rolling his eyes.

Sadie stuck her tongue out at him, and Jude shook her head, taking her place next to Tommy at the table.

"So Jame, this is the band you saw at The Chain, yes?"

"Yea, they're pretty great. They have a harder edge to them than the other bands we've been looking at, but they're serious musicians and they've got a great sound."

Tommy reviewed the one sheet (**A/N: for those not familiar with PR/marketing, a one sheet has typically a photo, bio, and accolades all on, you guessed it, one sheet**) for Shattered, and muttered to himself making notes on the side of the page. Jude watched him and held back a laugh; he always looked so cute when he was concentrating.

Zeppelin walked in a moment later, with three tattooed, gelled and pierced guys behind her.

"Band's here! This is Nick Pirano, Jay Kisky, and Mark Shultz of Shattered."

Jamie stood and walked over to the group, shaking each of their hands.

"Glad you guys decided to come in and meet with us, I think we've put together a really great deal option for you. This is Sadie Harrison, head of PR, Jude Harrison, VP, producer, and artist, and Tom Quincy, my co-president as well as head producer. Please, have a seat."

Zep joined Tommy, Jude, and Sadie at the far end of the table while Shattered took a seat at the close end. Jude noticed Nick trying to catch Sadie's eye, and Sadie purposefully kept her head down, focused on her paper. Jude made a mental note to see where that may lead at a later date.

Tommy cleared his throat, grabbing Nick's attention, along with Jay and Mike.

"So as you can see here, we've put together a demo contract, in which you would come in and work with an NBR producer to put together a 3 song demo. At that point, Jamie, Jude, and myself will review your demo, speak with your producer, and if we approve the demo, you then will be offered a three record deal with NBR."

The guys of Shattered looked at each other and smiled excitedly. Jude felt her heart beating faster, and she knew they were close to signing the first new band of NBR.

"Got a question," Nick began, "who would be producing us?"

"Kwest," Jude replied, "who couldn't be in this morning, but he's great. He's produced some tracks for me as well as Speiderman, Karma, and several other G-Major artists before he joined NBR."

"When do we start?" Mike asked.

"We're just finishing up the last of the 3 brand new studio spaces, and we want to make sure all construction is done before bringing in anyone to record, so that the creative process isn't interrupted. So as long as things go accordingly, we'd like to have you start in about 2 to 3 weeks." Jamie replied.

"Works for us." Jay said, seeming to be the shyest of the group.

* * *

><p>Sadie stood at the front desk, looking for a paper clip, while Shattered got a tour of NBR and talked final details with Jamie and Tommy. She finally found the box of paper clips and looked up, only to come face to face with Nick. The box slipped out of her hands, and she backed up instinctively, feeling flustered.<p>

"Didn't mean to scare ya, Ms. Harrison." Nick said, grinning, and reaching down to pick up the box.

He took the opportunity to take a long look at her legs as he stood, and Sadie quickly realized what he was doing. She snatched the box at of her hands, and turned on her heel, hair flying over her shoulder. Nick smiled again, secretly pleased that he was already getting under her skin.

Neither noticed Jude smirking as she watched them from across the room.


	4. Chapter 3: No Big Deal

"Jude?" Sadie shouted as she entered the Harrison house, kicking off her heels and dropping her bag next to the stairs.

"Upstairs!" Jude yelled back.

Sadie found Jude in her room, head inside the closet, throwing clothes out at an alarming pace.

"Um, Jude? What in the world are you doing?" Sadie said, dodging a shoe that came flying out towards her. She heard rustling, and Jude emerged from the closet, face red and hair all askew.

"Trying to pack for tour Sadie! How on earth am I going to fit everything I need into 2 suitcases?" Jude said, short of breath.

"Jude, sit, breathe, calm down. You have a week before you leave, there's no need to panic. You didn't have this much trouble last tour, what's going on?" Sadie said, sitting down on the floor next to Jude.

"Last tour I wasn't spending every day and night with my very attractive, very famous, very serious boyfriend Sadie!" Jude screeched, and Sadie winced at the noise level.

"But you guys spend almost every night together as it is, either here or at Tom's, so what's the issue? It's not like he hasn't seen you bleary eyed and with bed head in the morning."

"Sades, it's going to be like living together! But MORE intense! We will be together, 24/7, on a bus, with the guys. No escape from each other. What if something goes wrong? What if he decides my bad habits are too much? What if I can't deal with his potential breakdowns about hair gel and wrinkled clothes?" Jude replied, starting to hyperventilate.

"Jude. Look at me. CALM. DOWN. It's going to be fine! Tommy's been on so many tours I'm sure he's got a tour contingency plan for his hair issues, and yes, you are going to be together a lot, but you'll find time to take breaks if you need to. You'll have your own dressing room at all the venues, Tommy will be doing sound so he'll be busy during load ins and soundchecks. It's going to be ok, Jude, I promise."

Sadie grabbed Jude's hands and forced her to start breathing at a normal pace. She had just gotten her breath back when they heard the front door slam, and footsteps on the stairs.

Tommy appeared in the doorway, eyes widening at the sea of clothes and shoes surrounding the girls.

"Harrisons, what's going on here? Jude your room is a wreck."

"Just trying to find a shoe Tom, no big deal. Jude had a minor freak out, but we're all set now." Sadie rolled her eyes, replying for Jude.

"Yup, exactly, a shoe. But, here it is!" Jude said, standing up, grabbing the first piece of footwear she saw.

Tommy narrowed his eyes, knowing something was off, but he couldn't put his finger on it.

"Ok, well, I brought take out, so I'll just go downstairs and pull out some plates." Tommy said, and turned back through the door.

Jude sighed in relief and dropped the shoe on her bed.


	5. Chapter 4: Unwelcome Surprise

A week later Jude, Zeppelin, Tommy, Spied, Kyle, and Wally sat around the conference room at NBR, going over final tour details.

"So," Zep said, "the bus leaves from here at 9 am tomorrow, and heads for Syracuse. Everyone has the tour itinerary in the packets in front of you, so if you have any questions before we head out tomorrow, just let me know."

The group nodded and turned their attention to the packets in front of them, while Zeppelin made additional notes on the laptop in front of her.

"Sorry I'm late guys, I was on the phone with the promoter." Jamie said, as he hurried through the door. Zep raised an eyebrow.

"I nailed everything down with them last week, what's going on now?"

"Well …" Jamie began, hesitating, "they've added an additional artist to the line up."

Jude dropped her pen and looked at Spied, who put his hands in his head.

"Who?" he asked, through muffled hands.

Jamie looked at Zeppelin, shaking his head and looking down at the table before answering.

"That female duo, Ally & Cora."

"What?" Jude shrieked, as Tommy dropped his pen on the table.

"You've got to be kidding me Jamers!" Spied groaned, letting his head fall on the table in despair.

"Andrews, you can't be serious. Jude Harrison, Spiederman, and Ally & Cora? They're like a pop song gone very, very wrong. It just does NOT fit. AT. ALL." Tommy's anger grew and Jamie backed away across the table, instinctively.

Kyle and Wally shook their heads while Jude was trying to process this new unwelcome addition to her tour.

"How can they even think their sound goes with the tour? Have you talked to Snake? This is ridiculous. They're a bad version of Britney Spears, times two."

"Jude, I talked to Snake, there's nothing we can do. There was a provision in the contract saying that the promoter could add an additional opening act if they saw fit, and apparently, they do."

"Let's look at this positively," Zeppelin said, trying to grab everyone's attention, "it's not like Jude is opening for these two blonde bimbos. Jude is headlining and Spied's got the main opening slot. We let them play their crappy music for 30 minutes tops every night, and blow them out of the water with our NBR sound."

Jamie grabbed Zep's hand and smiled in thanks, while Jude nodded and sighed, made a silent pact with Spied.

"Alright. But keep those two away from me at all costs." Jude said forcefully.

"It's my duty as tour manager Jude, I'll do my best, ok?" Zeppelin replied.

Jude nodded back in gratitude and leaned her head against Tommy's shoulder, suddenly exhausted from all the drama.


	6. Chapter 5: You're It

**A/N: There's a bunch of new characters in this story, so I'm having to take some time to work out that end of things. I'll be out of town for the next several days, but don't worry, I will have my laptop and I will be writing while I'm away, so expect at least 2-3 chapters early next week! Thank you all for reading! **

* * *

><p>"Jude? Babe? Are you here?" Tommy yelled, coming through the door of the Chrome Cat. Not seeing Jude, he headed towards the isolation booth, thinking maybe she was working on a song. He looked through the window to find Jude lying on the floor, surrounded by candy wrappers and balled up pieces of paper, with her eyes closed.<p>

Jude heard the door to the booth open, but kept her eyes shut, realizing too late she'd had one too many pieces of candy. She got a whiff of Tommy's cologne and couldn't help but smile to herself.

"This floor taken?" Tommy asked, leaning over Jude.

She shook her head no, and Tommy lay on the floor next to her, taking her left hand in his right, lacing their fingers. She turned towards him instinctively and opened her eyes.

"What're doing laying on the floor girl?" Tommy asked, meeting her gaze.

"Just … thinking. Trying to get some quiet before the tour starts, you know how it is. My last few hours of peace before a crazy, granted awesome, 6 weeks begins."

She bit her lip, subconsciously, and Tommy noticed her classic nervous reaction right away.

"Is there something else bothering you? You've seemed a little tense this past week, and I don't think it all has to do with the tour."

Jude searched his eyes and saw understanding and love, but she was afraid to speak of what she was really nervous about.

"I don't know, nothing really I guess, just trying to get things together for tour, and working on my new songs."

"Jude, come on, tell me the truth. That scene last week in your room? I know that wasn't about you trying to find a shoe."

"What? What do you mean? I showed you the shoe Tommy." Jude replied, a little bit irritated.

"Babe, it was the same pair of shoes you were wearing that day. I don't think they were lost in your closet in the few hours between coming home and me showing up."

Jude looked down, breaking eye contact, and Tommy waited for her to say something.

"I … I'm just nervous, maybe, about you and me. Being together on tour."

"What are you nervous about? Do you not want me to go?" Tommy asked, not sure where Jude was going with what she was saying.

Jude's head shot up and she scooted closer to Tommy, letting him wrap his arm around her back.

"Of course I want you to go! More than anything! I guess I'm just scared that spending so much time together will be too much for you, or for me, and that we won't be able to handle it."

Tommy put his hand under her chin, lifting her head up to meet her eyes with his own.

"Jude it's going to be fine. I mean, we've spent endless hours, days, weeks together in the studio, and we handled it ok. All I want is to be with you, through everything, good and bad. I …" Tommy cut himself off, not wanting to put too much pressure on Jude too soon again.

"You what? Come on, tell me."

"I want to us to live together Jude, it doesn't have to be now, or in 6 months, or a year, but when you are ready. You're only 19, I know that, and you need time before you make such a big choice. But for me, you're it girl. So I'm ok with waiting for you to be ready, if that's what you want."

Jude felt her breath catch in her chest and her eyes widened with surprise. Tommy studied her face, trying to gauge her reaction to what he had spilled accidentally.

"I would love nothing more Quincy."


	7. Chapter 6: 7 AM

Jude and Sadie sat on Jude's bed, sorting laundry and packing Jude's tour bags.

"So Tom asked you to move in with him?" Sadie said excitedly, throwing socks in the suitcase.

"Well not like, at this moment, Sades, but he said, and I quote, "I want to live with you" – but he totally gets that I need some time before I can do that, to make sure I don't mess it up." Jude replied, squishing in a stack of jeans in the other suitcase.

"That's so exciting though! I mean, I knew it was going to happen, but to know he said he the words, it's like, finally!"

Jude smiled and nodded in agreement.

"Speaking of guys, Sade, what's up with you and Nick Pirano? You were looking pretty chummy last week at the studio after they signed." Jude smirked, waiting for Sadie's reaction.

Sadie dropped the brush she was packing and whipped her head around.

"Oh, I don't think so!" She yelled, "He is SO not my type! He's always staring at me, and he needs to wash his hair more often." Unfortunately for Sadie, she couldn't control the blush that was creeping into her cheeks, which Jude noticed immediately.

"He's cute Sades, and he likes you! Sadie and Nick, sitting in a tree – "Jude started to sing before Sadie smacked her arm, cutting her off.

"Enough of that!" Sadie screeched and Jude fell to the floor laughing hysterically.

"Don't worry Sadie, you'll have plenty of alone time with Nick while I'm on tour! Don't do anything I wouldn't do!"

* * *

><p>Tommy pulled his Hummer up outside of Jude's house at 7 am, sunglasses hiding his bleary eyes. He took a quick look in the mirror to check his hair and once he was satisified, he walked into the house.<p>

"Jude? Sadie? You guys ready to go?" Tommy poked her head in the kitchen to find Sadie filling an extra large thermos with coffee, while Jude was resting her head in her hand, staring off into space, a half eaten waffle in her hand.

"Not so loud Tom," Sadie said, annoyed, "we were up all night getting Jude's stuff together. I feel like I slept 5 minutes. You can thank your girlfriend for my chipper mood."

Tommy walked over to Jude and put his arms around her, leaning his head on her shoulder. She leaned back into him and closed her eyes.

"Come on babe, you gotta wake up, its time to go. Let me put your suitcases in the car, k?"

Jude nodded her reply and picked her waffle back up half heartedly, eyes barely open.

Sadie followed Tommy outside, carrying Jude's messenger bag and her jacket.

"I heard about your big move in proposal Tom, I'm really proud of you. Jude is thrilled! I'm glad you two are in such a good place, ya know?"

Tommy put Jude's bags in the trunk next to Jude's and turned back towards Sadie.

"I just want her to be happy Sade, and if I have to wait awhile before she's ready to make that step, then I'll wait. I can't bear … I can't bear to have her leave again."

Sadie smiled at Tommy, and they both watched as Jude struggled to close the front door behind her, nearly tripping down the front steps.

"Got your coffee in the car Jude, come on, let's get you some caffeine girl." Tommy laughed, helping Jude into the front passenger side.

Sadie hopped in the back, her own coffee in hand, and the three drove off to NBR.


	8. Chapter 7: Cat Fight

**Author's Note: Sorry for the delay in updates - work has been insanely busy and I've been too exhausted to really sit down and write. Updates will be sporadic until after Christmas, but I will definitely be continuing the story!**

* * *

><p>Jude sat in her dressing room, picking out an outfit for the first show that night. She could hear Spied and the guys wrestling in the room next to her, and she shook her head, laughing to herself.<p>

There was a knock on the door and Zeppelin entered, clipboard in hand.

"Hey Jude, everything ok in here? Was the rider correct? Do you need anything?" Zeppelin rattled off questions a mile a minute, as she hurriedly made checkmarks on the stack of papers clipped in front of her.

"Everything's great, Zep, thanks! How are things out there? Have you seen Tommy?"

Zeppelin looked up from her clipboard, and Jude watched her face curiously, noting that Zep looked a bit nervous.

"He's, um, he's, well, the opening act arrived about 20 minutes ago, and they've taken it upon themselves to meet Tommy."

Jude rolled her eyes and felt her heart grip with anger. Sadie had given her the tabloid run down of Ally & Cora last night, complete with the rumors of Ally breaking up multiple relationships.

"Let's go see what they're up to Zep, Tommy's got things to do, these girls are a distraction."

Jude strode confidently out the door towards the stage, Zeppelin trotting behind her and talking to herself.

They both stopped short as they came up to stage left, watching the scene before them. Tommy was standing, clearly uncomfortably, mid stage, one of Jude's guitars in hand, while Ally stood in front of him, hand on her hip, posing seductively.

"Jude, let me just –"

"No Zep, I gotta do this myself. It's the first day of tour and she's already trying to sink her claws in. I'm marking my territory from the start."

Zeppelin imagined a lioness stalking its prey, and giggled to herself, as Jude strode purposefully over to the pair in the middle of the stage.

Tommy's eyes widened as he saw Jude walk up behind Ally, and put his hands up as if to say he wasn't involved. Jude nodded in return, acknowledging that she knew Tommy wasn't the one who had began the flirtation.

"So, Ally is it? I see you've met my boyfriend, my very serious boyfriend, Tommy Quincy." Jude said, her voice was high and light, but everyone in a mile radius could feel the hatred coming through.

Tommy wrapped his arm around Jude's waist, and set her guitar down in its stand. Ally arched an eyebrow and whipped her blonde hair over her shoulder. Tommy pulled Jude closer, nervously, sensing a major girl fight coming on.

"Oh yes, he did mention some girlfriend, but you know, I didn't realize it was you." Ally replied, matching Jude's fake friendliness.

Tommy snorted and shook his head, while Jude's eyes seethed with aggravation.

"Shocking how one who's in the tabloids as much as yourself wouldn't happen to notice all the stories on Tommy and myself. Well, now you know. Tommy, I'm ready for sound check, you?"

Tommy nodded and kissed Jude, while Ally glared back, and Zeppelin breathed a sigh of relief backstage.


	9. Chapter 8: First Night

Jude and Spied stood backstage, watching Ally & Cora perform their set, checking out the competition.

"I don't get it dude," Spied said, "Cora's voice is a million times better than Ally's, why do they have her doing backing vocals for almost every song?"

Jude shook her head, and cringed as Ally strained to hit a high note.

"Maybe she doesn't fit the package they want. Ally's blonder, taller, more "pop queen". Clearly Cora is just seen as a tool to enhance the vocal performance."

Mid way through the set, Cora stepped up to the lead mic; Jude and Spied watched with interest. A beautiful, slightly timid, voice came pouring out of the girl. Jude and Spied looked at each other, and turned back to watch. The song ended with thunderous applause, and Ally huffed her way back to center stage, clearly not happy with Cora's success.

"You know what we need to do Spied, right?" Jude said, deviously.

"Save the girl from that crazy pop Barbie my dude. Emergency meeting after the show tonight? A plan must be formed." Spied replied, and the two smiled in agreement.

Jude was doing vocal warm ups after Spied's set when there was a knock at the door. Jude opened it, and found Cora standing in the door way, unsure of herself.

"We um, we didn't get to meet earlier, I hope I'm not interrupting you."

"Not at all. Come on in. It's nice to meet you Cora."

Cora smiled and closed the door behind her.

"I'm really sorry about Ally's actions earlier today with Tommy. She's unfortunately had a one-track mind since we found out about the tour. And not about anything musical."

Jude smiled at the sarcasm and motioned for Cora to sit next to her on the couch.

"I really loved the song you did, you have a great voice. But, if you don't mind me asking, how did it come about that Ally takes the lead most of the time?"

Cora looked down at her hands and shook her head.

"Ally and I have known each other forever, since we were very young, we met at a performance arts summer camp. At the end of every summer, there would be a huge talent show. I would write several songs over the course of the camp session, and Ally and I would perform them together at the show. She was always more outgoing and more comfortable with the stage than me, so it worked well in the beginning."

Cora trailed off and picked at a loose thread on the bottom of her skirt before continuing.

"The summer we were 13, there was a major talent scout at that year's showcase, and he eventually brought us out to L.A. to demo for his label. We started recording fairly quickly. I wrote or co-wrote all of the material, while Ally took over on lead vocals, I guess because that's why it had been since our first performance together. The label brought in a new president, and suddenly we were forced to go from a singer/songwriter duo to this pop nightmare. I lost all the material that I worked on for that original record, and I was told pretty blatantly that I would never have stage presence or appeal that Ally has, so I should just be happy to have a place at all."

She wiped away a few tears, and Jude was reminded of her younger self and the trials she had been through at G-Major. She grabbed Cora's hand and waited until the girl looked back at her.

"Listen to me Cora, your voice is phenomenal. You should be the one out there singing, not Ally. The bleach blond hair, the fake tan, the dance moves, its all an attempt to cover up her lack of vocal talent. Yes she's a good performer, but she's only a mediocre singer. Any time you want to play me something you're working on, I'm there. Ok?"

Cora nodded and Jude hugged her, knowing she needed to help her before Cora's self-esteem was completely crushed. Jude looked up to see Tommy standing in the door, head tilted to the side, smiling at her. She smiled back and pulled out of the hug.

"Sorry to interrupt ladies, I promise I wasn't eavesdropping, but I back everything Jude said. I would love to listen to some of your songs, anytime." Tommy said, walking over to the couch.

"Thank you so much, both of you. I think I'm going to like this tour after all." Cora said shyly, smiling, and made her way out of the room.

"Felt like I was watching a younger version of you when I was watching her perform earlier. You know she would be great with NBR." Tommy said, sitting next to Jude, pulling her close to him.

"Spied and I already on it. Planning session tonight on the bus."

"I should've known! You and Spied work on your plan, I'll ask around and see what exactly their contract is. That girl is just being crushed."

Jude nodded in agreement, laying her head on Tommy's shoulder, letting contentment drift over her.

"You ready for your big debut tonight? Any nerves?"

Jude looked up at Tommy and shook her head.

"You're gonna rock it girl, I know you are. See you out there babe."

Tommy kissed Jude and went out to get ready for her set. Jude pulled herself up and looked at the mirror, adrenaline running through her veins. She still couldn't believe it was the first night of her own headlining tour.


	10. Chapter 9: Chained to the Man

**A/N: I'm back! I hope to have another chapter up this week, I'm working out some inner details of the plot and sub-plots, so bear with me please. Thanks to all have listed this as a favorite story, I promise to keep going!**

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><p>Later that night, Spied and Jude sat in the back of the bus with Wally and Kyle, adrenaline from their first show still running through their veins. Jude blocked her head as Kyle came crashing down on top of her, falling over from a sharp turn in the road, and Wally fell on the floor. Spied burst out laughing and they all righted themselves and found a seat.<p>

"So," Spied began, "Dude's filled us in on how Ally&Cora came to be, well, Ally&Cora. And from what it sounds like, you definitely got the vibe Cora wants out, right?"

"Definitely. The girl is being completely stifled by their label, as well as Ally, and her positive outlook is going down the tubes with every day that goes by. We have to do something."

"Do you think she's open to it though, jumping ship and joining NBR?" Kyle asked, suddenly pensive.

"It's not something I've talked to her about yet, obviously, but both Tommy and I mentioned we'd like to hear whatever she's working on, and she sounded genuinely interested in doing that, so I say we let the next few weeks play out and we take it from there. We know she's got a great voice, but we haven't had heard much of her actual songwriting ability, which is what would interest us most."

"Any word on what her current contract is like?" Spied asked Jude, who shook her head.

"Tommy's working on it, he knows someone in L.A. who can get a copy of the contract to Snake's legal team."

A few minutes later, Tommy walked into the back room of the bus, grinning and closing his phone.

"I just spoke with my contact out in L.A., who happens to work at the label in question. According to her, Ally and Cora are signed into a 3 label deal. The label has exclusive rights to all material written and recorded, which I assumed, but here's where things get tricky. The girls are actually each signed to a sub-contract, regarding their specific rights in the group. Ally is locked in solid, but Cora on the other hand, is essentially seen as a backing vocalist and nothing more. If she walks away, she takes a financial hit, not that her actual payout is much in comparison anyways, but there is a downfall. Any material that she wrote and recorded at the label; stays at the label."

Jude's smile fell and she shook her head, feeling angry.

"So basically all of the songs she wrote when they were first signed are vaulted, even though they were never released."

Tommy nodded and dropped down beside her on the couch, putting his arm around her shoulders.

"Pretty much; yes. But that will be Cora's choice - if she wants to walk away from one album's worth of songs to start fresh and be free, or to stay chained to the nightmare she's in for a small, extremely small, chance of getting those songs back."

The group sat in devoted silence for a moment, each knowing instantly what their choice would be in that situation.

"I just have one question." Spied said, breaking the silence.

They all looked up and he smirked.

"Who's contact at the label Quincy? Old flame perhaps?"


	11. Chapter 10: Mystery Source

Jude yawned and dragged herself into the bathroom in her and Tommy's hotel room, squinting at the bright light. The bus had pulled into the second stop on their tour around 3 am, and she was more than ready to get to sleep. As she brushed her teeth, she couldn't help but wonder who this mysterious contact was at Ally&Cora's label. She trusted Tommy, but she still heard a nagging voice in the back of her head when he refused to give her and the guys any more information on the bus.

Tommy lay back on the bed, eyes half shut, waiting for Jude to finish up in the bathroom. He wondered if Jude was worrying over his refusal to give any information, but he hadn't felt like getting into a big explanation in front of the band on the bus.

Jude dried her face with a towel, and bit her lip, looking at herself in the mirror. _Just wait till morning Jude, don't ask him tonight. You're both exhausted._ She shut the light off and made her way through the dim light to bed where Tommy was already half asleep. Jude laid next to him, turning the light out, and smiled to herself as Tommy's arm automatically wrapped around her.

20 minutes later, Jude was still wide awake, mentally flipping through a catalogue of Tommy's past conquests. She stared into the darkness, no longer able to stand the curiosity.

"Tommy? Are you awake?" She whispered, turning in his arms to face him. He pulled her tighter and she laughed quietly, before reaching out to place her hand on his cheek.

"Tommy, please, it's driving me nuts. I can't wait till later to talk about it." Jude said, knowing, even in the dark, that he was awake.

He sighed and turned the bedside light on, and rolled back over to face her.

"Do we really need to get into this now?" Tommy asked; eyes bleary.

"I'm not going to be able to sleep."

"Jude, you have to promise me you won't tell anyone what I'm going to tell you. It can get my source into a lot of trouble."

Jude nodded and Tommy continued, absentmindedly playing with her hair.

"It's an artist I knew from my Boyz Attack days, she opened up for us on our first major tour, and we've stayed in touch since. She's been a great friend to help us out, but she's put herself into a potentially threatening position by getting me the information."

Jude thought back to Sadie's Boyz Attack days, struggling to recall who opened for their first tour, which Sadie attended, naturally.

"Wait - are you talking about Leanna Rydell? That's your source?"

Tommy nodded and Jude stared at him, completely surprised.

"How would she even have access to that? And wasn't she dropped by her original label a few years ago?"

"She was, when she decided she didn't want to record straight pop anymore. She was looking to get into a more singer/songwriter sound, but the label president wasn't into it, so she was let go. I was able to help her get a job though at Siren Records, where she's doing A&R now while trying to record on the side. She is the one that originally found Ally&Cora, but had focused on them due to their original sound, and send out a scout to see them perform. She's completely horrified at what's happened since their original recordings were scrapped."

Jude took a moment to process the information, surprised once again at how wide spread Tommy's connections were. Her eyes narrowed as she recalled a day when a young Sadie Harrison came home sobbing, clutching a teen tabloid in her hand, splashed with headlines of Tommy Q's latest love affair.

"Hold on, didn't you two date back in the day? I remember Sadie being heartbroken for weeks."

Tommy laughed, and Jude crossed her arms, annoyed.

"Sure we went out on a few dates, but it was nothing serious. We realized quickly we were better friends than anything else. We let the rumors continue so that she wasn't hassled by the other guys in Boyz Attack, and she felt protected. Remember, she was only 14 when she opened for us. We've been good friends since."

Jude sighed and uncrossed her arms, warmed by the thought of Little Tommy Q going to such lengths to help a friend.

"So what's her opinion on Cora's situation?"

"According to Leanna, the contract was written to keep Cora involved only in the vaguest sense - she's not allowed to submit any new written material, and she more or less is named a backup vocalist in the contract. Leanna had to fight to get one of Cora's older songs, in which she sang lead, on the record. That was the song we heard the other night. When Siren brought in a new president, as Cora said, he completely reshaped the image of the duo and scrapped several other artists that didn't fit the pop princess image. Leanna herself is trying to get out of there, but she's on contract until the end of the year."

"What does she think Cora will decide?"

"Leanna believes in Cora's talent, no doubt, but she said herself that the girl has little self-confidence, with the way things have gone so far. I think this is where we can step in and help mentor her. But we need to be very careful in the way we go about this, Leanna said that Ally is infamous at the label for eavesdropping and stirring up trouble."

"I won't tell a soul about Leanna. Why don't I work with Cora more for right now, any interaction she has with you Ally will be more likely to pick up on."

"I think it's a good plan, Jude. Now, can we please sleep? Some of us have to get up early to manage load in."

Jude nodded and waited for Tommy turn once again turn off the light. She settled herself against his chest and was asleep within minutes, lulled by his heartbeat.


	12. Chapter 11: Catching Up

"Sades! I miss you! How's NBR?" Jude said happily, settling in on the couch in her dressing room.

"Miss you too! NBR is going well, Jamie had a minor freak out this morning, but nothing major, I can't wait till Zep gets back though, to deal with his neuroses. How are things out there?"

"The tour has been so amazing Sadie, the past few weeks have been a total dream. I can't believe how well it's going!"

20 minutes later, Jude was wrapping up the call with Sadie, when she grinned deviously, suddenly remembering a very important question.

"How are things with Shattered? They start recording this week, yes? How's Nick Pirano been?"

"I, um, yes, they are in the studio, as of Monday. It's been fine, yup, totally normal."

"Sadie you're totally lying! What happened, what's going on?"

"Nothing, nothing at all."

"Sadie, come on. Don't make me call Jamie to get the details …"

"Fine, fine! Nick is maybe, sort of, attractive. In an unwashed musician kind of way."

Jude burst out laughing and imagined the look on Sadie's face.

"You like him Sadie, you SO like him! I knew this would happen!"

"Jude, it's not funny, I can't like him! Look, I've got a meeting, I will talk to you later."

"K Sadie, say hi to Nick for me!" Jude ended the conversation gleefully.

Sadie hung up the phone muttered insults to Jude. She suddenly felt another presence in the room, and turned around to find Nick standing in her doorway. _Well he looks full of himself, _Sadie thought, _and ok, maybe kind of hot. With a haircut._

"Hey, Nick. Can I help you with something? Everything going ok in the studio with Kwest?" Sadie said nervously, wondering how long he'd be standing there and what he had overheard.

"Oh, it's going great, just great. We're taking a break, so I thought I'd just stop by and see if you were interested in grabbing a quick lunch with me."

"I really have a lot of work to do …" Sadie said, trailing off as he came closer and smiled.

"You need to eat, don't you? I promise, 30 minutes tops."

Sadie got lost in Nick's gaze and saw Karma in front of her office door, giving her the thumbs up. She inwardly rolled her eyes and stood up.

"Ok. But you're buying." She said as she came around her desk, and followed Nick out of the office.

Nick and Sadie had just walked into a small café a few blocks from the label offices when her phone buzzed.

"Karma, what's going on? I'm at lunch, as you know."

"Sadie, you need to get back here as soon as possible. There's … there's been an accident."

Sadie's phone dropped to the floor as she turned and sprinted as fast as she could on 4 inch heels. Nick stared after her in bewilderment and then picked up her phone and followed after her.


	13. Chapter 12: Shock

Sadie skidded to a stop at the reception area of NBR, Nick close behind, coming face to face with a somber Jamie, Kwest, and Karma. Her heart was pounding and she felt sick, terrified that something had happened to Jude or their parents.

"What happened?" She managed to get out, as Karma led her to a chair. She dropped into it gratefully and looked up at the three. Kwest knelt in front of her, taking her hands in his. It was the most physical contact they'd had since their breakup, and Sadie knew something terrible had happened.

"I got a call from Tommy's cousin. Sadie, his brother Tristan is dead." Sadie's hand flew to her mouth, mind spinning with grief for Tommy and worry for Jude. She shook her head and tears sprung up in her eyes.

"Does he know? Has anyone called him?"

Kwest shook his head.

"She and I both tried to reach him, but we just got his voicemail, and that's not really something you leave a message about."

"I need to call Jude first. This ... this is really bad."

Kwest, Sadie, Jamie, and Karma all looked each other, the memories of what happened when Tommy left for New Brunswick the last time reflecting in their eyes. Sadie forced herself to stand and walk to her office, taking deep breaths and wiping the tears away. She heard footsteps behind her and turned wearily to find Nick standing there.

"Nick, I really don't have time ..."

"Sadie I'm just giving you your cell back, you dropped it. Is there anything I can do?" Nick said quietly, placing her phone in her hand and holding the other hand in his briefly before dropping it.

Sadie looked into his green eyes and was lost again for a moment, seeing Nick's sarcastic facade falling away to reveal a sensitive and deep soul. She forced herself to breathe.

"After I make this call ... do you mind taking me home? I don't trust myself to drive."

"Of course. I'll be waiting out here for you."

Sadie sat at her desk and picked up her office phone, hand shaking as she dialed Jude's number.

Surprised to see Sadie's line at NBR pop up again on her phone, Jude answered quickly.

"Calling to admit your love for Nick?" Jude said, laughing to herself.

"Jude, I ..." Sadie began so quietly Jude could barely hear her.

"Sadie, are you alright? What's going on?"

"I have some really awful news, Jude. And I hate that this has to be done over the phone. Tommy's brother died."

Jude looked up in shock as Tommy came through the door, blood draining from her face.

"Jude? Jude?"

"I'm here Sades. He just walked in. I'll tell him."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I need to be the one to do it."

Tommy looked at her curiously and walked to her with growing concern.

"Ok, call me later please. I'm going home early, so call my cell."

"I will. I ... I love you Sadie." Jude replied, choked up as tears began to fall.

"Love you too little sis, bye."

Tommy sat next to Jude, pulling her into his lap as tears streamed down her face.

"Babe what happened? Why are you crying?"

Jude looked up at Tommy, his blue eyes filled with worry, his arms wrapped tightly around her to protect her from the world. She reached up and put her hands on either side of his face.

"Tommy ... Tristan is dead. I'm so sorry."

She searched his eyes anxiously as confusion turned into understanding and she wrapped her arms tightly around his neck. Tommy buried his head into the red hair he loved so much, shocked and heartbroken. Yet, no tears came. He held onto Jude as her own tears subsided and finally pulled away to look at her once again.

"Tommy? What do you want to do? Do you want to leave for home tonight? Tell me how I can help you." Jude silently cursed herself as panicked fear began to grow, thinking back to what happened the last time Tommy had a family emergency.

"I better call Kwest and Jamie, figure out a plan to cover the tour for a few days. Call my cousin too." Tommy replied, sounding hollow and distant. He walked towards the door, looking to find fresh air, when he felt Jude's hand in his.

"Please don't shut me out Tommy. Let me help you. I'll call NBR. You need to focus on your family, ok?"

Tommy looked down at Jude's watery eyes, and forced himself to feel something, anything, for her. He nodded and put his arm around her, leading her out to the bus to have some privacy.


	14. Chapter 13: Don't Shut Me Out

**A/N: I am SO sorry for the lack of updates! Life has been craaazy and I've also been working on a Vampire Diaries story. Rest assured I intend to continue and eventually finish this story! **

* * *

><p>Jude and Zeppelin sat in the front of the bus, running over the tour schedule and figuring out the best way to handle the situation.<p>

"Ok, so, Kwest will fly out tonight, and be here for tomorrow's show. Jamie's already spoken to the promoters and they've agree to postpone the following two dates, which gives you enough time to get up to New Brunswick for the funeral." Zep said, reading over the list in her hand.

Jude nodded tiredly, and looked towards the back, where she saw Tommy pacing back and forth before he finally hung up his phone.

"Tommy? How's your cousin?" Jude asked timidly, not sure if Tommy would explode from his pain or turn cold.

"She's hanging in there. Zep, do you have my flight for the morning booked?"

"Yes, first flight out. I've made you a rental car reservation as well."

Tommy nodded, his arms crossed, staring out the window. Zep raised an eyebrow at Jude and gathered up her stuff.

"I'm going to give you two some time alone."

Jude smiled in thanks and waited until the bus door was closed before she stood up and walked over to Tommy. She put her hand on his arm, and he flinched, but his eyes never left the window.

"Babe, is there anything I can do? Anything I can get you?" Jude asked quietly, still trying to gauge his reaction.

Tommy shook his head, and looked down at his shoes.

"No, Jude, there's nothing you can do. Get yourself ready for the show tonight, I'll be fine." Tommy replied, his voice icy.

Tommy heard Jude breathe in sharply, and he cringed, knowing his tone had hurt her.

"Tommy, please don't shut me out. Please." She begged softly, her eyes pooling with tears.

He saw the pain in her eyes, from the last time he left for New Brunswick, and he realized he couldn't keep shutting out the person he loved most. Tommy pulled Jude into his arms, and she burst into tears, as he rubbed her back and held her tightly.

"I'm sorry Jude," Tommy whispered, "I'm sorry. I just don't want to put this weight on you."

She pulled back and brushed her tears away.

"Tommy, I want to be there for you, it's not a burden. I love you and it hurts to see you in so much pain."

He nodded and pulled her back to him once again.


	15. Chapter 14: Funeral

Jude sat on the couch in Tommy's mother's house, watching his every move as he made his way around the room, thanking relatives and friends for coming to the funeral. He seemed to be holding up well, but Jude knew differently. He was putting up a front to everyone around him except her. She had spent the past couple of nights holding him as he fell asleep, tears silently escaping his eyes, as he clutched her to him for dear life.

Tommy inwardly sighed, wanting be done with the cheek kissing, the hand shaking, the condolences handed out. His brother was dead and buried, and Tommy wanted to run far, far, away from New Brunswick, and get back to his work, back to Jude's tour. He caught a glimpse of Jude out of the corner of his eye, she was watching him like a hawk, and he knew it was only out of concern. He made his way over to her and took a seat next to her.

"How are you holding up?" Jude asked him, her blue eyes wide with worry.

"I'm doing ok. I just want to get all this over with, ya know?" Tommy replied quietly, taking Jude's hand in his, absentmindedly playing with her star ring.

"It'll be over soon. But are you sure you're ready to head back out on the road? I'm sure Kwest could cover more dates if you need him to."

"No, I really need to get back to the job. It'll be good for me to keep busy and just let the work get me through the next few months. And I need you. "

Tommy locked his eyes with Jude's, and she touched his cheek, smiling softly.

"I'm here, I'm always here. You know that. I love you, Tommy, always."

* * *

><p>Sadie, Tommy, and Jude collectively sighed a sigh of relief as the cab from the airport pulled up in front of the Harrison house.<p>

"Um, Sadie, who is that guy sitting on the front steps?" Jude asked, squinting through dusky light.

"What are you talking about? Oh my god." Sadie said, clapping her hand over her mouth and shaking her head.

"Isn't that Nick Pirano?" Tommy asked, handing over money to the cab driver, and opening the door.

"Sadie um hello? Did something happen between you two? Spill!"

"He took me home after I got the call about Tommy's brother." Sadie said, her face bright red.

Jude watched her suspiciously, and Sadie wouldn't make eye contact.

"Hah! I knew it! Something happened, something happened! I knew you were into him!"

"He um, stayed the night. No big deal Jude, really."

"He stayed the night?"

"On the couch! I'm going inside."

Sadie marched up the front walk and stood in front of Nick, hands on her hip. Tommy and Jude stood at the trunk of the cab, watching.

"Nick, what are you doing here?" Sadie asked, in a very bossy tone.

"I just came to make sure you were alright, Sadie, and see if you needed anything. I could grab takeout or something for you guys, so you don't have to worry about dinner. I just want to help you."

"Nick, I don't know why you think something is going on here –"

Nick stood up, and grabbed Sadie's hand, cutting her off.

"There IS something going on here. You can't deny it, Sadie. Everyone can see it."

Tommy and Jude smirked at each other, and although Sadie's back was to them, they both could imagine her rolling her eyes at this point.

"Fine! But you are going to get us dinner. Now come inside so I can look at the menu. And take my bag."

Tommy burst out laughing, and Jude followed, while Sadie glared back at them, and Nick beamed.

"Well, this will be interesting." Tommy said as he rolled his and Jude's suitcases to the door.

"It's good to see you laugh Tommy, I missed it." Jude said quietly, smiling over at him. He smiled back and they headed inside, ready to watch the continuing show between Nick and Sadie.

The next day, Tommy and Jude flew out to meet up with the tour. Jude was anxious to get back on stage, and Tommy was ready to get back to work so he could forget everything that had happened in the past week.

Zeppelin met them at the airport and proceeded to talk a mile a minute.

"I am SO glad you guys are back! Ally has been driving me up the wall about when you would be back Tom, it's really aggravating. I've put the SME boys on the task of chasing her around to get her away from me, but she's got to be one of the most annoying females on the planet!"

Tommy shook his head and Jude laughed, picturing Spied, Wally, and Kyle doing their best to good naturedly torture the girl.

"How's Cora doing?" Jude asked, worried about Ally's better half of the duo group.

"She's actually doing pretty well. Spied and her have been secretly recording some demos of new stuff she's written, I think you will be really impressed. They want both of you to take a listen and if you think it's ready, to send it to Jamie. Spied's been working on persuading Cora to at least look at an offer from NBR."

"That's great! I can't to hear." Jude said excitedly, looking over at Tommy, who was staring out the window of the car.

"Babe, did you hear what Zep said?"

"What, oh yea, sorry, just tired." Tommy replied, but his tone made Jude worry.


End file.
